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In 2007 I started PharmaSecure with my college roommate to protect patients from fake medicine. We found early on that Indian pharmaceutical companies provide many of the real medicines to the countries plagued by counterfeits, so we moved from New Hampshire to New Delhi, India to set up our business.

Today our work has grown to tracking a billion packages of drugs distributed to 33 countries with the core of our business still in India. Here are nine tips I’ve learned along the way about building a sustainable business in India

1. Hire for aptitude, not credentials

While resumes are good for screening candidates, you should rely much less on the CV than you would elsewhere. In interviews, focus more on intelligence and ability to adapt than on experience, and have someone from India help with reference checks. The nuances in how previous employers describe a candidate can speak volumes about someone’s competence, but only if the person speaking with them can understand what’s being said between the lines.

2. Plug into the community

Get to know your neighbours, travel with Indian friends and join a civic group, church or other religious community. These bonds will be a source of advice, recruitment, investment, free office space and lifelong friendships.

3. Be approachable

Indian businesses typically have very strong hierarchies. If you want to foster the kind of collaborative work environment you may be used to, you will need to go out of your way to be approachable to your team so they will know that they can openly share ideas and concerns with you.

4. Invest in relationships

This is true in all business, but it is especially true in India. Our first customer came through a relationship I had developed with the managing director of an Indian pharmaceutical company. When I was on my way to meet him for the first time, the cash machine ate my card at the airport, and he had to pay for the taxi and lunch and help me get back on the road. It was an embarrassing situation, but his generosity started a good relationship that resulted in our first customer contract.

5. Diversity matters

Be sure you have the linguistic and regional diversity on your team that can help you relate to your customers. India is an extremely diverse country with many distinct languages, cultures and religious communities. Pay attention to your customer’s region and what language they speak at home and get advisors and employees who can relate to them.

6. Outsource administrative tasks

Tasks such as registering a corporation that can take less than a day in the US or UK can be convoluted in India. It’s easy to get burned out on paperwork and have little time or energy after incorporating a business to actually run the business. Even if you outsource your administrative work, you’ll still want to develop a “speed signature” for all the documents that need to be signed, stamped, notarised and initialed.

7. Be patient

Even though India seems to be changing quickly, this is driven more by the magnitude of incremental changes rather than the speed of these changes. If your business is gaining momentum slowly, this doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have a good business in hand. Keep your focus on the fundamentals and the direction the market is heading and give yourself the cash runway to be able to sit and wait a while. But stay on your game and make sure you have the resources and capacity to hold on tight when things change and your business needs to scale quickly.

8. Hire interns

Providing interns from back home with the opportunity to gain experience in India will add a lot to your company’s culture and bring valuable diversity of experience. Be sure to provide interns with accommodation and the money to live comfortably or they will waste most of their time figuring out how to live in India rather than contributing productively to your business. Also put in place a framework for moving interns from short-term to long-term employment.

9. Have fun!

Doing business in India is a blast – you’ll have amazing experiences, whether you’re there for a few months or the long term. There are times when you need to take a step back and just really enjoy what you’re doing. You will meet the most interesting people and have fascinating experiences contributing to a great and young nation. Make sure you take the time to enjoy the adventure of it all.